Cut Down on Maintenance Costs

1. Give or take an inch or so, the maximum overall width of the attachment, including the links, should be twice the length of the chain pitch. For example, WR132 is 6.050" pitch x 2 = 12.1" so, 13" cradle would be suitable. Anything longer might cause the chain to twist under leverage, and break the link.

2. Drive and tail sprockets, when used with attachment chain, should be flanged to prevent material from dropping down through the sprocket. The attachment must not come into contact with the flanges on a sprocket, as this will result in stresses being placed on the side bars, and can result in side bar failures. Remember to mount the sprocket or idler so that the root line is slightly higher than the wear strip.

3. Flare the trough and return ends slightly to prevent the attachments from hanging up on a squared edge.

4. Wear strips must be full width of the conveyor to support the attachments.

5. The preferred wear strip is T1-360/500 or one of several hardened UHMW products. The T1-360/500 is a controlled hardness material that is well suited to conveyor wear stripping. UHMW, of course, has a very low coefficient of friction. A good rule of thumb is for the "chain vs. wear strip" hardness to be about 100 points apart on the Brinel scale.

6. Sprocket pitch diameters should be about 4 x's the chain pitch, for mill chains, and 3 x's the pitch for drag chains. Also, it's better to use sprockets with an odd number of teeth. The chain will strip off the odd tooth sprocket more readily when two teeth are not in contact with chain when directly opposite one another at the same time.

7. Always use good quality chains and sprockets. A few dollars saved in the outset by installing an inferior or marginal strength product often results in premature failure, expensive downtime and added costs.

IMPORTANT

8. A badly worn chain breaking under load could injure an employee. A good maintenance program will identify areas of concern.

The manufacturers of CAN-AM welded steel chains are pleased to share these thoughts with you. Please contact us if you have any thoughts that should be included in our next writing.